The professorship is one of four research professor designations at South Texas that recognizes outstanding legal scholarship by a faculty member and is designed to encourage additional writing and research on vital legal topics. Ricks joined the college in 1996 and teaches contracts, corporations, agency and partnership, and jurisprudence. His is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the J. Reuben Clark Law School at BYU. The Vinson & Elkins Research Professorship is for a four-year term.